The present invention relates to a browser page transmitted to a user client via a network such as Internet, and more specifically to a mark image attached to the browser page, digital watermark information embedded in the mark image, and a program that performs processing with reference to the digital watermark information.
As Internet comes into wider use, an Internet mark is often attached to a home page to claim a copyright of the home page transmitted via Internet and thereby to indicate its authenticity. However, because only attaching the Internet mark to the home page cannot protect copy causing an unauthorized use of the home page, the following technique is proposed: using a digital watermark technology, information including a mark issuer, a mark promoter, a mark provider, URL of the mark provider's site, and a mark period are embedded in a mark image; the authenticity of the home page is verified by comparing URL of the home page with the embedded URL of the mark provider and by checking the mark period.
According to the above-mentioned prior art, the digital watermark information embedded in the mark image is limited to such information described above. Therefore, even when processing different kinds of marks, no choice is given but to perform authentication in a routine manner using formula processing procedures such as URL check and mark period check. For this reason, it was difficult to change processing procedures for each kind of the marks and to change text information to be displayed. For example, as an example of the processing procedures, there is a selectable option of either displaying a mark after performing mark authentication automatically or displaying the mark first before performing the mark authentication.
In addition, as regards displaying of selectable actions as a menu when a mark is pointed, it is expected that the number of menu items, their names, and actions to be selected can be designed freely for each kind of marks. Even if the same kind of marks is processed, it is also expected that part of displayed text information can be changed for each mark provider. Moreover, when changing processing procedures and processing itself for each kind of marks, it is recommended that a program referring to a mark or a browser including the program is not changed.